California Body Piercing Laws: How Old Do You Have to Be?
General Age Requirements
You must be 18 years of age or older to get pierced without parental consent in California. However, a minor can receive any piercing aside from nipples or genitals legally in California with parental consent at any age. Individual studio policies and body art insurances may vary, and for this reason, studios in different counties will have different policies regarding the piercing of minors.
Specific Piercing Types and Age Limits
Ear Piercings: Ear piercings can be done on minors legally in California at any age. Our studio offers them for children 5 years of age and older. Our studio only pierces earlobes for children 5-13.
Body Piercings: At Envy, we offer body and facial piercings for children 14 and up whose parents consent to the service.
Limitations & Restrictions: Nipple and genital piercings cannot be provided to minors, regardless of parental consent. You MUST be 18 or older to receive these piercings. Anyone who offers this service to someone underage is not operating legally.
Parental Consent and Documentation
For parental consent, we need verifiable photo identification for the minor and the parent who is consenting. Informed consent is important, so we will discuss the procedure, potential for complications, aftercare, and healing with the minor and parent before performing the procedure.
For minors being pierced, we require a school ID with their full name and photo, or some form of photo government ID, such as a state ID or passport. For the consenting parent, we require a government issued photo ID. If the last name of the minor does not match the parent, we require a birth certificate, and in the event of adoption, we require legal guardianship paperwork, which is usually issued by a judge or a notarized document stating guardianship.
Doing a little research is always great when preparing for this sort of consent process! Parents should also take notes and ask questions! Professionals love answering questions as it shows you're engaged, excited, and care about the piercing healing properly.
Health and Safety Regulations
Health and safety standards for piercings in California can vary by county, but for Los Angeles, upon verification that a body art facility meets all of the following requirements, a public health permit will be issued.
Body Art Facility Requirements to Obtain A Public Health Permit
Possess current Infection Prevention and Control Plan
Facility is clean,free of insects and rodents,and has walls,floors and ceilings that are smooth, washable and free of holes
All practitioners are registered with certificates posted
A Contract For Removal Of All Sharps Waste
Waste containers with liners in procedure area and decontamination area
Properly labeled sharps containers that are within arm’s reach of the practitioners
Equipped with adequate lighting
Equipped With Handwashing Sink with hot (110°F) and cold running water
To ensure that you are choosing a piercing studio that complies with these regulations, you should do your research! Our favorite way to find a reputable piercer is safepiercing.org, but when looking at a piercing studio, you are allowed to ask for spore test results, to see current artist registrations, and to see proof of sterilization!
Legal Consequences of Non-Compliance
Legal consequences for studios that pierce minors without proper consent vary, but range from fines to having the studio shut down.
With that said, parents and guardians are responsible for keeping paperwork and identification up to date for minors and ensuring they are reading consent and legal forms provided by the studio thoroughly before signing.
Age-Related Considerations and Advice
Do Your Research: As we’ve said many times already, it is absolutely crucial that you do your own research. Look for studios with pictures of good, healed piercings. Implant grade jewelry is important, and be sure to go somewhere that cares about ID! If they’re not checking ID, they’re probably skipping other important stuff, too.
Lifestyle Is Important: Extracurricular activities are a big thing to consider when getting pierced. Swimming or having to remove a piercing for competitive sports are common things that can interfere with the healing of a piercing for minors. Being in good health is important, and being able to invest time in checkups is also important.
Additional Resources
We love safepiercing.org! It does not list every licensed studio, but all of the studios on it are licensed and promise to carry implant grade jewelry, follow local regulations, and test regularly to stay in compliance with membership.
Also remember that your local county website is the best resource for local piercing regulations.